Solving one of the most important problems in today’s world

Hello!

My name is Felix Steiger. I am a certified public accountant and work exclusively in auditing pension funds. In addition to this, I manage our competence centre for auditing 1st and 2nd pillar social insurance schemes in Bern.

I’m sure at this point most of you have probably already mentally switched off. But stick with it, because my job is more exciting than it sounds so far! There is an enormous amount at stake here – for you as well.

Let me explain why. I’ll give you a brief overview of where I come from, both geographically and professionally.

I am 38 years old, originally from Germany, and I studied economics there. As part of my studies I learnt about the German pension system, which sparked my interest in (occupational) pensions! I then came to Switzerland to join PwC in 2012. Here I learnt all about the 3-pillar system as part of my job auditing pension funds. I quickly realised that my role at PwC and my interest in pension schemes went together perfectly.

So I plucked up all my courage and specialised entirely in auditing pension funds after passing my exams to become a certified public accountant. I speak of courage because by specialising in pensions, I decided against working in other industries and other types of businesses.

Pension schemes in Switzerland ensure that people in Switzerland enjoy financial security in their old age, especially by international standards. As an auditor working with 2nd pillar pension schemes, we help to ensure that the pension assets of the insured persons are handled carefully.

You probably have an image in your head of lots of numbers and complex calculations. Yes, that’s what my day-to-day workload is about – but first and foremost it’s about people.

A while back I had the opportunity to take on another exciting project that got me passionate about something different: entrepreneurship.

In 2018, we established the PwC Competence Centre for Pension Fund Audits in Bern. Our aim is to promote digitalisation in the auditing of pension funds. When we started, the people in charge asked me if I would like to develop a concept and lead the team for auditing pension funds in the competence centre. I accepted straight away! As part of this project, I am happy to have been able to pursue my two passions and help shape our vision for carrying out audits in the field of occupational pension provision. Working with our team in the competence centre, we finally succeeded in establishing a new and unique digitally supported audit for pension funds in Switzerland.

What motivates me to do what I do? Well, I am a father of a young son, and I’ve seen for myself how beautiful and enriching it is to teach a child to walk and to see them take other important steps in their development.

It’s a very similar thing at work in that it motivates me when I can make a difference: when my work makes sense and I am constantly learning new things. This way of creating and learning gives me a lot of fulfilment and motivates me to do my best every day. One day, when I am a pensioner myself, I would like to be able to look back with pride on what I have achieved in my career.

Of course, success makes me even more motivated to achieve more success. My biggest success in assurance so far was in autumn 2022 when we won the mandate of PUBLICA, the Swiss federal pension fund. PUBLICA is one of the largest pension funds in Switzerland. Winning them as a client meant an incredible amount of work over a very long period of time, but we managed to pull it off because we had a great team. I still remember the exact moment when I was on holiday with my son and my wife at the breakfast buffet and I got the phone call saying we’d won the PUBLICA mandate. Those who were responsible for making the decision weren’t just impressed by our digital approach to the audit but also by my own passion for auditing pension funds.

Successes like this don’t come from battling away on your own but from an inclusive and strong community.

Generally speaking, there were several aspects of this project that I would define as my key factors for success in the workplace. First of all, you should see a deeper meaning in your day-to-day work. Do something passionately and take pleasure in it. Keep delivering the highest-quality work and communicate openly and transparently. Build a team and a network that is deeply rooted in the field beyond just auditing. Keep your promises. And above all, trust one another unconditionally.

I think that Switzerland's 3-pillar system is forward thinking and a formula for success. 

My big vision career-wise is one day setting up this system in other countries, for example in Germany. This would be my contribution to solving one of the biggest problems of our time: pension provision.

That’s assurance!